"Every Band has its Breakup"

A Sonic Underground Story

Written By: J. M. Rich

My children have been working so hard to kindle hope in others that their own lights are fading. And so very often when we are hurting, we hurt the ones we love as well...

Chapter One: Interrupted

The monthly rave of the planet's most famous underground band had just begun and already the sound-proofed, triple-thick walls of the abandoned bomb shelter were thumping and nearly swaying along to the sweet sounds of the Underground. The Sonic Underground.

Manic the Hedgehog was laying down a fierce drum line that seemed to pulsate out from his set, reverberating in the hearts of all the dancers out on the floor, the seated audience enjoying their drinks, and especially the people gathered near the lip of the thrust stage, watching every move.

Sonia the Hedgehog's male admirers were gathered at the bar at the back, watching with great interest as her fingers flew nearly liquidly along her keyboard, releasing wafts of soft, low, purple smoke falling out of it and blanketing the floor in a mist. One of them watched with just a bit too much interest, the corners of his mouth streaked with drool, staring through tiny violet spectacles at the most beautiful sight he would ever behold.

Her long-time fiancée, Bartleby, sat beside him, but had his back turned to the concert. He wouldn't have been able to tell you what was going on because he had two heavy-duty industrial strength earplugs crammed into his ears. It wasn't blocking the music by any means, but it did put it at a more comfortable level for him. He was sipping a glass of red wine, apparently enjoying the semi-silence by the smile on his face, although not the excruciating body odor of the man next to him, wrinkling his nose and scooching just a little more to the right. Sonic had promised to break his nose if he didn't come. He said it was the least he could do for his sister. Bartleby had supposed that was right, considering he had given away their last concert location. It was broken up by a SWATbot raid before they could even play the downbeat.

The well-polished surface of Sonic the Hedgehog's triple-axel guitar reflected the patterns of the crazy gobos on the swinging lights overhead, catching the colors and bouncing them all over the room. Although it was almost like there was a magical energy flowing through all of them on the stage. No one could say for sure, though those in the Resistance closest to them had claimed the musical instruments had some kind of great power.

Magical instruments? Yeah right, like anyone would believe that.

A casual observer had to admit though. The three of them had some kind of deep chemistry that showed in their music and how, if one of them should take another route in the number, the others would instinctively follow. It wasn't all about Sonic either, although he did enjoy standing in the spotlight and usually sung the strongest vocals in the group. For all of the rumors of him being selfish, he was quick to step back and let the spotlight fall on either of his siblings when the timing was right.

The music ended in a swift halt as Sonic put up a hand in signal to his siblings.

"C'mon, that's plenty for a warm-up - whaddya guys say we get this show on the road?" Sonic strummed, fingers sliding up and down the strings, squeezing them against the fret boards, producing a sweet chord that just whined out his impatience to begin. He smirked back at his brother and sister.

Sonia rolled her eyes slightly but nodded, flicking a switch on her keyboard and giving her fingers a stretch.

"Heh, you know I was born ready, bro!" Manic drummed up a rapid-fire drum roll that made at least two of girls in front of the stage faint from sheer awesomeness - or that is how they would have described it to you, had they been conscious enough to form complete words. He twirled his sticks in the air and then played the down beat.

"One! Two! A- One! Two! Three! FOUR!"

The crowd swelled so much at the new song, that it was hard to hear the music, but as Sonic stepped forward to sing while playing both the base and lead on his triple-necked guitar, they quieted slightly in anticipation. Most agreed though that almost certainly had to be magic, right? No one was that fast and could take on two lines at once and sing. It was scientifically impossible! But Sonic could. And he did. It was magical.

It's been a
Long way down,
On this winding road (Always twisting!)
Turning us
Upside down!
Where's it lead?
No one knows! (Nothing's for certain!)

Keep on fightin' (Never lose the light!)
Cause life gets tough,
The path is rough,
But it's the Journey that you take,
The friends and choices that you make,
That's what matters most,
Not the destination!

Adventures happen
Every day,
On this winding road (Always turning!)
Sometimes we all
Make mistakes!
But learning from them
You can succeed! (They make you stronger!)

You'll be alright!
Just hang on tight!

Yeaaaah-yeah!
Nana-na-Na! (Nana-nana-na Na!)
Nana-na-Na! (Nana-nana-na Na!)
Yeah-yeah Yeah!

Keep on fightin' (Never lose the light!)
Cause life gets tough,
The path is rough,
But it's the Journey that you take,
The friends and choices that you make,
That's what matters most,
Not the destination!

It's the Journey that you take
Not the destination!

It's the Journey that you take
Not the destination!

Adventures happen...
Along the way...

Sonia ended beautifully and her brothers smirked at her, making her blush. She always took their compliments to heart, even if she didn't show it all the time. Seems their practice had again paid off; they could barely hear each other over the roaring of the crowd and sounds of them screaming, "One more time!"

Sure, some critics would probably describe their songs as "hokey" and "silly" but those critics don't have to live in Robotropolis everyday of their lives.

"One more time!"

"Whaddya think Underground, should we give it to them?"

The songs of the Sonic Underground were the pure hope that everyone needed to keep going. They were the only ones brave enough (though some would argue "stupid enough") to break the law and play music. They played all kinds, performing any and all requests, everything from Country to Rap, Classical and Hard Rock and everything in-between. They weren't professionally-trained musicians by any means, they just played what they knew and what their audience asked for. In this time of hardship, no one complained what was played, they were just happy to hear real music, any kind of music. Most of their audiences consisted of young people. Those older were too afraid - they had families to watch out for, they couldn't take the chances that the young could. They couldn't run as fast to get away.

"One more time!"

"Dunno bro, I can't hear anybody out there!"

The Sonic Underground stood for a world without the tyranny of Robotnik, who cleared out cities the way a bulldozer levels landscape, destroying homes and breaking apart families, taking away the very lives of the citizens by a process known as Roboticization - where they forever become the robotic slaves sworn to serve this obnoxious dictator. Everyone feared the Roboticizer, even the three hedgehogs themselves. You'd be foolish not to.

"ONE more TIME!"

"Sonic! If they scream any louder they'll bring the roof in on us!"

"I dunno, sis, I don't think I can hear them either!"

Ultimately, the Sonic Underground stands for a world where every voice is heard. Their "Council of Four" would see to that, if they could only find their mother, the rightful Queen, to complete it. Queen Aleena wisely understood the needs of all and is greatly missed by her subjects in the shadow of Robotnik's empire.

"ONE MORE TIME!"

"Alright, already! You win! Hit it sibs!" And with that, they played their new song again.

Even though these hedgehogs were her three triplets, princes and princess by birth, the three of them came from completely different classes in society: from Sonia's highest class, to Manic's lowest class and Sonic speaking for everyone inbetween. Together they would create a world where everyone could grow up without fearing for their life, where their next meal would come from, or how bills would get paid. A world where fun wasn't outlawed and music could be played in public concerts as loud as anyone wanted. It would be a world where life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness were held as the highest principles. I'm sure if you could have showed them our world, they would have been caught in a moment of awe and longing.

As they ended once more, the crowd again erupted. Bartleby had to dig in his earplugs a bit deeper. "Well, they certainly are gaining popularity," he said to himself, certain that his monologue would be lost in the noise. He took another sip of his wine. In his opinion the Resistance had at least stolen a good vintage from Robotnik's personal stock. The wine Robotnik sold to the aristocrats at such exorbitantly high prices could only be described as distilled swill.

"Sonia," a low voice crooned longingly. It could only have come from the most heartsick of puppy loves. Bartleby again had to scooch as the man next to him swung around in his chair and nearly fell off his barstool.

"Excuse me, bartender," Bartleby snapped his fingers towards the grinning insect, but of course he and everyone was too busy applauding to pay any attention to him. He sighed and decided to move himself. He didn't want to come back to the Palace with the stench of dirty drunk all over him.

"Someday you'll be mine, Sonia," the drunkenly happy man said, "All mine."

Bartleby stayed for another set of songs, mostly ones that he had never heard, but a couple he remembered because he had been there the first time they had ever been played. You didn't normally forget something like that, and no matter how well you tried to block it out, memory prevails eventually.

But everyone immediately knew what the red lights meant as they started flashing wildly, the colorful lights gone, the low fog fading, everything bathed in a low red glow. Needless to say, Bartleby made himself scarce quicker than Sonic himself, disappearing out the nearest exit.

The Underground halted mid-song and for a moment, the place was deathly quiet, everyone waiting for the inevitable. For a moment no one said anything, just watching all the happiness drain out of the room, the red light bringing up fears that were all too real, bringing the realities of the world just outside these walls crashing back inside.

Sonic stepped forward and you could hear every squeal of his sneaker peeling off the hot stage floor as he spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, but not too loud, "Okay everybody, no need to panic. It's probably just a test. Trevor?"

Everyone turned up to the booth where Sonic was looking to see a mouse teen's head pop out of it. He had a "hippie" look to his clothes and hair, but the eyes behind his glasses gave away the intelligence hiding behind them. He didn't look too happy, but everyone could see he was putting his words as kindly as he could.

"Sorry Sonic, but there's a large patrol of SWATbots and two assault tanks headed our way from the Main Street Bridge. Everybody should clear out just to be safe. Take the south tunnel door everyone, it's next to the ladies room."

There was a loud chorus of groans and a bit of anger like the first kernels of corn popping. The Sonic Underground couldn't help but feel greatly disappointed as well. This was the longest concert they had in a while. If they could've, they would've played all night and into the early morning.

"You heard the techie, everybody. Let's get this place vacant in five."

"But hey!" Manic snatched the mike from his drum and leap over it. "We're really glad all of you came. Next time guys! We'll party 'til dawn!"

"Yeah right."

He wasn't met with the cheer he thought he would be. Manic snarled a little, but couldn't locate the angry voice.

"Nice try," another voice said from the crowd.

Tones of dull conversation overtook the crowd as they began to gather their things and head for the exits. Trevor was already disconnecting his DJ station in the lighting and sound booth. Before Manic could say a retort, he found that his mike was off. One of their volunteer "SoUnd" crew, as they called them, plucked it from him as they started clearing off the stage. They were packing everything up and storing it under the stage for retrieval later. Above them the lights closed, rotated, and flipped up, disappearing into ceiling, leaving behind a cobwebby, rotted finish that made it look like most of the other buildings in this part of town.

Manic angrily whipped his drum set back into his drum medallion with a quick gesture that made it pulse neon green. He snatched his sticks out of the fanny pack at his waist and started twirling them about nervously.

Sonia was at his side immediately after calling back her own keyboard into a shining piano key medallion around her neck. She put an arm around his shoulder as it glowed a soft pink.

"Don't take it too hard, Manic. Everyone's just disappointed."

"Yeah, well they don't need to take it out on me, I was just trying to help."

"She's right bro. They didn't mean it," Sonic said quietly as he sat on a stool tuning his guitar.

"Easy for you to say. Any time you open your mouth, everyone goes crazy."

Sonic frowned, his guitar disappearing from his hands, swirling into a blue light and disappearing into a guitar medallion. "Hey, what was that you said about not taking it on other people, bro?"

"Forget it. I'll meet you back at the safehouse."

"Yeah, well maybe you need to cool off a bit!" He shouted over at him as head pushed through the crowd, a few people stared up at Sonic and he bit his lip slightly.

"Sonic," Sonia said a little more softly.

"I know, we shouldn't be fighting in front of everyone. It's bad for morale."

"No! That's not what I was going to say, and you know it."

He sighed again, staring at her.

Her fierce eyes stared back. He had to admit most times she was a royal pain in the neck. It's not like he had a lot of practice having to deal with a sister when he was little. Having siblings was a new and difficult challenge for him – for all three of them. Sure they did love each other, but that didn't mean they always got along 24/7.

"You should go talk to him. He's just stressed out like all of us. We can't let him go home by himself."

"Why not? He's a thief isn't he? He'll be fine in the sewers."

"The Sonic I know would never say anything that cold."

But she wished she hadn't said that as soon as it was out of her mouth.

Sonic folded his arms and stood there a moment longer, just watching as the line of people disappeared down one of the escape tunnel doors, the "SoUnd" crew quickly following, locking up the equipment in the trap door under the stage. Trevor had come down too after finishing disguising the lighting and sound booth as an air duct.

"Sorry to break up the party prematurely," he said.

"It's not your fault, Trevor," Sonia said quickly, "You were right to stop us. It's much better to be safe than sorry, right Sonic?" Her tone was apologetic.

"I'm gonna go for a run," Sonic said without apology, and took this chance to make his exit, heading out through the back door and up the long set of stairs to the alley where the trio had parked their van.

"Sonic!" She called after him, but he was already out the door. She stamped her foot. "That brother of mine, sometimes he makes me so mad – I just wanna scream into a pillow!"

"He'll be back," Trevor said. "Let's find Manic before he gets too far."

He started heading that way, but Sonia was standing in front of the stage, looking towards where they had been playing just minutes earlier.

"Sonia?"

"Oh Trevor..." Sonia started to tear up but didn't look away from the stage, speaking quietly, "I know we always try to keep things upbeat, but there are times when I don't even believe what we're singing up there anymore." She wiped away the tears forming on her face. "I want to though…"

"That just means you're human." He smiled. "What you three are doing is more important than any of our raids on Robotnik. You're keeping all of us hoping."

"Excuse me!"

They both turned around and then looked down to see the eyes of an orange-tabby kitten, round and watery staring up at them like she had just seen a pretty unicorn, like the one on her pink t-shirt.

"Uh," the little girl mumbled and stumbled over her words, a pair of purple heart-shaped glasses balancing on her pink nose, "I was wonderin' if I could get your autograph, Miss Sonia."

"Heh, I'll leave you to your biggest fan," Trevor said with a grin, "I'll run ahead and find Manic."

Sonia wanted to come with him, but at the same time she had such a soft spot for kids - and this one was overwhelmingly cute - a little too cute, part of her mind told her, but she found she couldn't say no. Those little eyes seemed very sincere about admiring her. And they were.

"How could I say no to a sweet little girl like you?" She asked as she knelt down, taking the pad and pen that the child offered. As she started to sign her name, she looked around. Everyone had cleared out. Everyone except the two of them. She could hear the repetitive stomping of the SWATbots battalion coming from around the street corner above them.

"We can't stay here much longer. Who are you here with?"

"Just myself." Sonia finished writing and handed the paper and pen back to her.

"Yourself? Are you from Sanctuary?" Although Sonia couldn't believe any of the caretakers in Sanctuary would allow anyone so young to come all the way out of their safe hiding place down into the city (and to an underground night club at that). It didn't make sense.

"Uh... um..."

"Nevermind. We'll catch up to the group and figure out who you came in with." She gently took the girl by the hand, not wanting to play babysitter, but wanting to get both of them out of there as fast as possible.

She was about to open the door to the tunnel, when she felt the fingers around her hand clamp down, tugging sharply. Great, she thought, now what is it? She forced a smile for her though and turned back to ask her.

"Hi Sonia," greeted exactly the person she did not want to see right now - or ever for that matter. His crushing fist tightened around her wrist and pulled her closer, closer than she liked because she could smell his breath. It was an odd mixture of garlic and alcohol.

"Dingo!" She shrieked, trying out a karate chop on the rippling muscular arm of the orange canine holding her. But to no avail. He stood at least three times her height and was definitely too numb to pain now that he had her in his arms. "Let me go!"

"Thanks for the autograph! I'll treasure it always." Dingo sighed deeply and nuzzled his nose into the paper, perhaps trying to pick up the smell of Sonia's hand. He pressed his slobbery, chapped lips to the paper. Sonia cringed.

Overhead, the doors to the empty building blasted open, and Sonia sighed when she heard an all too-familiar voice ordering the SWATbots to search the building for Resistance members. Of course, if Dingo was around, his partner in crime wouldn't be too far behind him. Before she could do anything about it, she was dragged towards the stairs, which had been blockaded ages before the Resistance had started using this place as a night club. Dingo walked straight through the barricade as if it had never existed in the first place, barely retaining any scratches from the debris. The whole of the old stairwell was covered in a few inches of dust and cobwebs, but even Sonia wasn't worried about getting dirty now.

Placing her hand on her medallion, she tried desperately to call forth her keyboard into its laser form, but it only sparked and went out. No! They had used up way too much energy during their long concert. She reprimanded herself for being so easily conned by this grimy shape-shifter, but there was no going back and fixing it now.

Twisting and pulling with all her might, she couldn't break free from Dingo's monster grip, leaving him to drag her along like a rag doll. She had to run just to keep him from pulling her arm clean out of her socket.

"Sleet! Sleet! Look what I got!"

"Dingo, I don't have time for your asinine little games. I've been trying to reach you for over an hour now. What the heck have you been do-" This was about the time that Sleet, a lanky, grey wolf, whose long cape bore a touch of overcompensation, finally turned around and saw just what it was his idiotic friend was waving around. It certainly wasn't what he expected. Normally, his peanut-brained, bounty hunting sidekick brought him something more like a shiny hubcap or something he had found that he had partially-devoured and decided to save "halfsies" for Sleet. Slightly touching, but disgusting all the same.

"A royal hedgehog? Dingo! You actually did something useful?" Sleet was speechless for a moment, staring at him suspiciously and then deciding he wasn't imagining things.

"I wish I had a camera. Dr. Robotnik will never believe me when I tell him--"

"I'd rather you didn't," Sonia said.

"As for you, where are your brothers hiding?"

"Like I would tell you, Slip."

"You can't blame me for asking nicely," he said. He grinned, showing two rows of predatory teeth. What Sleet sorely lacked in physical strength he made up for in cunning, and you could almost read his evil intentions across his features. His smile was not a good sign.

"Of course, now that means I get to use force to make you talk. And I like doing that."